Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
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Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi | |||||||||
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Queen of Attingal , Maharani of Travancore, Attingal Mootha Thampuran | |||||||||
Maharani of Travancore , Queen of Attingal | |||||||||
Maharani of Travancore | 1901 – 22 February 1985 | ||||||||
Coronation | 1901 | ||||||||
Predecessor | Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi | ||||||||
Successor | Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi | ||||||||
Regent Queen | 6 September 1924 – 6 November 1931 | ||||||||
Born | Mavelikkara, British Raj | 19 November 1895||||||||
Died | 22 February 1985 Bangalore, Karnataka, India | (aged 89)||||||||
Issue | Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bhai, Karthika Thirunal Indira Bai(1926) | ||||||||
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Kulasekhara dynasty (Second Cheras) | Venad Swaroopam | ||||||||
Father | Kilimanoor Kerala Varma Thampuran | ||||||||
Mother | Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha | ||||||||
Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||
Occupation | Regent |
Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI (5 November 1895– 22 February 1985) was the monarch, though designated as the Regent due to British policy, of the Kingdom of Travancore in southern India between 1924 and 1931. She, along with her younger cousin, Moolam Thirunal Sethu Parvathi Bayi, were adopted into the Travancore royal family and were the granddaughters of the celebrated painter, Raja Ravi Varma.
In 1924, Maharajah
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi's regency continued the progressive administration of Travancore dynasty and brought forth reforms like abolition of
Early life
Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was born on 19 November 1895 to Ayilyam Nal Mahaprabha of the Utsavamadhom Palace in
In the prevalent matrilineal system of inheritance known as
Education and marriage
Within a year of the adoption of the Princesses in 1900, the two Princes, Chathayam Thirunal and Aswathy Thirunal died followed by Maharani Lakshmi Bayi herself in 1901.[citation needed] Thus at the age of six, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi succeeded her as Senior Maharani of Attingal while Sethu Parvathi Bayi became Junior Maharani of Attingal. Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, consort of the late Senior Maharani Lakshmi Bayi, was appointed the guardian of the 2 minor queens and tutors were appointed to teach them. In 1906, when she was still ten years old, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was married to Sri Rama Varma, a grandnephew of her guardian who belonged to the royal house of Haripad. Four years later in 1910 the marriage was consummated and the couple started living together. In 1910 she became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage.[citation needed] In 1912 having passed her minority, the Maharajah granted her the rights to assume control of the Sreepadom Estate. Meanwhile, the Junior Queen gave birth to her eldest son Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last ruling Maharajah of Travancore. He became the Heir-Apparent to Maharajah Moolam Thirunal. The Junior Maharani gave birth to three more children namely Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi in 1916 and Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma in 1922. Her second child was still born. In 1923, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi gave birth to her elder daughter, Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi.[7] Then in 1926 she gave birth to another girl child, Princess Indira bayi.[citation needed]
Ruler/Regent of Travancore
In 1924, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi received news that King Moolam Thirunal was critical due to sepsis. The Maharajah died leaving behind the 12-year-old Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma as heir to the throne.[citation needed] Since the Maharajah was still a minor, it was decided, despite the opposition of the minor Maharajah's mother, Sethu Parvathi Bayi, that Sethu Lakshmi Bayi should be Regent until the minor King came of age in 1930. However, it should be also noted that unlike the regents of any other kingdom, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was entitled to many other perks which included absolute power which had been due to any other ruler of a princely state in India . This was on account of matrilineal tradition of the Travancore family where women had the equal power as well as right to rule, in absence of any male heir . Accordingly, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was proclaimed Regent Maharani of Travancore and commenced the regency in September 1924. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi had a fraught relationship, marked by suspicion and bitterness, with the Maharaja's mother. In 1929, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was decorated with the Order of the Crown of India.[8]
The Reign/Regency
The regency had opened amidst many events including Vaikom Satyagraha. Soon after in 1925 Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was visited by Mahatma Gandhi. Their meeting resulted in a royal proclamation by which all the public roads (except the eastern road) to Vaikom Mahadeva Temple was opened to all castes. Mahatma Gandhi called it a "bedrock of freedom" in his Young India (26 March 1925) magazine.[citation needed]
During the time of her regency, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi lived at the
After the Regency
After the regency Sethu Lakshmi Bayi retired from active involvement in the affairs to the state. She continued to look after affairs of the Sreepadom estate for sometime after which in 1939 the Maharajah Sree Chithira Thirunal assumed control of the estate and placed it in a trust from which all the female members of the royal family would receive allowances.[10]
In 1935 and 1937 respectively the Regent received the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal and the King George VI Coronation Medal respectively. Sethu Lakshmi Bayi spent her time until 1947 in Travancore with her husband and two daughters. Her second daughter, Karthika Thirunal Indira Bayi was born in 1926. In 1938 her elder daughter Princess Lalithamba Bayi was married to Sri Kerala Varma of Kilimanoor. Later in 1945 her younger daughter Princess Indira Bayi was married to a member of the Harippad family who, however, died in 1949. Thereafter in 1952 she was married to Kerala Varma of Kilimanoor, a cousin of her brother in law.[11]
After Independence
After Independence in 1947 and the creation of
The Malayala Manorama daily describes the reign of Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as follows:
The reign of Setu Lakshmi Bayi was the Golden Age of Travancore. At the time these words echoed through the land: "When the Rani of Vanchi rules, there is everlasting Thiru Onam in Vanchinadu"
.
Mahatma Gandhi about Sethu Lakshmi Bayi in his Young India (26 March 1925) magazine :
My visit to Her Highness was an agreeable surprise for me. Instead of being ushered into the presence of an over decorated woman sporting diamond pendants and necklaces, I found myself in the presence of a modest young woman who relied not upon jewels or gaudy dresses for beauty but on her own naturally well formed features and exactness of manners. Her room was as plainly furnished as she was dressed. Her severe simplicity became an object of my envy. She seemed to me an object lesson for many a prince and many a millionaire whose loud ornamentation, ugly looking diamonds, rings and studs and still more loud and almost vulgar furniture offend the taste and present a terrible and sad contrast between them and the masses from whom they derive their wealth.
No one who met her once could ever forget her. She stands as a shining example to womanhood as a great queen and a great woman
Every year the Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi Memorial lecture is held in Trivandrum by the Travancore royal family. In 1995, on her 100th birth anniversary, her biography At the Turn of the Tide, written by her grand daughter Lakshmi Raghunandan was published by the "Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi Memorial Charitable Trust" in Bangalore.
Criticisms
The Press Regulation Act of 1926[13] passed by the Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi is considered as a draconian law by the historians. The public protesters, headed by E. V. Krishna Pillai and T. K. Madhavan at Travancore Political Conference in Trivandrum, alleged that the new Press Act was solely formulated to protect the consort of Regent Maharani, Rama Varma Valiya Koyi Thampuran, from public criticism against his illegal interference in the administration of Travancore.[14] It must be said[by whom?] in defence of the Newspaper Regulation Act that the measure was taken to protect ordinary citizens from mud slinging campaigns and scandals indulged in by small newspapers "which come into temporary existence with the special object of vilification and when the object is carried out these news sheets disappear" (United India and Indian States", Delhi, 31 July 1926). This Regulation was hailed by K. Gopalan Nair, a lawyer and member of the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly, as a measure long overdue. A public demonstration by only upper caste people held to discuss the pros and cons of this Regulation, ended in a vote being taken, wherein the resolution to scrap the Regulation, was defeated by the majority (as per the Report of the Inspector of Police, submitted to the Maharani Regent). Hence she had the support of the upper caste public when the Regulation was passed.[citation needed]
Many historians and researchers have criticized Sethu Lakshmi Bayi for not conducting temple entry for dalits in 1924. When
In popular culture
Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi (spelled 'Sethu') is the central figure of
The popularity and critical reception of the book has led to interest in a screen adaptation.[16][17]
Full Title
Her Highness Sree Padmanabhasevini, Vanchidharma Vardhini, Raja Rajeshwari, Maharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, Maharaja, Attingal Mootha Thampuran, Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, Maharani Regent of Travancore.[citation needed]
See also
- Maharani
- Princely State
References
- ^ Indian Express, The New. "Trivandrum Heritage Walk Held". EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE.
- ^ Keith E. Yandell Keith E. Yandell, John J. Paul. Religion and Public Culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India.
- ^ At the Turn of the Tide by Lakshmi Raghunanadan, pages:234-242 : " The Government of India, long before the passing of the Press Act, gave notice of the measure to follow. In Travancore, on the other hand, the measure was hatched in secret and hurled at the public with the sole object or saving the Valia Koil Tampuran from newspaper attacks and not to serve any public purpose. The interference of the valia Koil Tampuran in Government affairs was well known."
- ^ PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, INFORMATION &. "HISTORY OF PRESS IN KERALA". I&prd Kerala.
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ ATTINGAL RANIS: The following extract from pages 190 to 192 of Kerala District Gazetteers, Trivandrum by A. Sreedhara Menon will give a glimpse about the nature of property held by the Attingal Ranis:- "Early in his reign Marthanda Varma assumed direct control over the so-called Attingal 'Queendom'. This was not an act of annexation or conquest, but Nagam Aiya has described the event as "the amalgamation of Travancore with Attingal". There has been some misunderstanding among contemporary and later writers in regard to the significance of this step taken by Marthanda Varma. This is the result of a general notion that Attingal was an independent State ruled by the Ranis and that the kings of Travancore never exercised any authority in the tract. Certain statements found in the memoirs, commentaries and State papers of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English have only served to strengthen this wrong notion. The theory that the Ranis of Attingal exercised sovereign powers is, however, incorrect. The fact is that in political matters the Ranis of Attingal as such exercised no sovereign rights. Any grant of rights over immovable property by the Ranis of Attingal required the King's previous assent or subsequent confirmation for its validity. It may be noted that the so-called Queendom of Attingal had its origin in the 5th century Kollam Era when two princesses were adopted into the Venad family from Kolathunad and the revenues from certain estates in and around Attingal were assigned to them for their exclusive use. Since then the female members of the ruling family of Travancore had come to be known as Attingal Ranis. It was only the male children of these Tamburatties, either by birth or by adoption, who could inherit the throne. Thus Marthanda Varma and the heir-apparent Rama Varma were both sons of Attingal Tamburatties. This tended to invest the Attingal Ranis with a special dignity in the eyes of the people, native as well as foreign, and led to the notion that they had sovereign rights over Attingal. But in reality the Kingdom of Venad extended from Kanyakumari in the south as far as Kannetti in the north, and there was no kingdom or principality intervening within its limits. When Marthanda Varma decided to assume direct control over the estates of Attingal and thus deprive the Rani of some of her rights, he was not interfering in the affairs of a sovereign State. As the head of the royal family and the ruler of the State, he had every right to interfere in the affairs of a part of his kingdom, The Rani of Attingal had neither territory nor subjects, except in the sense that the people of Venad paid respects to her as a senior member of the ruling family. What she possessed was nothing more than the control over the revenues of the estates and an outward status and dignity. Whatever powers she exercised were those delegated to her by the head of the family and the sovereign of the State." Even if it may be accepted that at some point of time they or any part of them were held by the Attingal Ranis before Marthanda Verma had assumed direct control as sovereign ruler of Travancore over the properties of Attingal Ranis. After the assumption of direct control by Marthanda Varma the properties held by the Ranis, whatsoever the extent and nature of such properties may have been earlier, became properties of the State of Travancore and the legal incidents of property held by a sovereign as referred to above applied to them also. There was no scope of such properties continuing to be joint family properties after such assumption of direct control.The properties have passed on from one sovereign to the other came to be ultimately held by Respondent No. 1, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, in that capacity. In view of the foregoing discussion, both the Civil Appeals fail and are dismissed.(from the judgement passed by Supreme Court of India on the case Revathinal Balagopala Varma(Apellant) vs His Highness Shri Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma(Respondent No.1) on 28 November 1991)
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ Raghunandan, Lakshmi. At the Turn of the Tide. Bangalore.
- ^ PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT, INFORMATION &. "HISTORY OF PRESS IN KERALA". I&prd Kerala.
- ^ At the Turn of the Tide by Lakshmi Raghunanadan, pages:234-242 : " The Government of India, long before the passing of the Press Act, gave notice of the measure to follow. In Travancore, on the other hand, the measure was hatched in secret and hurled at the public with the sole object or saving the Valia Koil Tampuran from newspaper attacks and not to serve any public purpose. The interference of the valia Koil Tampuran in Government affairs was well known."
- ^ Keith E. Yandell Keith E. Yandell, John J. Paul. Religion and Public Culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India.
- ^ of India, The Times. "Manu S. Pillai's 'The Ivory Throne' getting a screen adaptation".
- ^ of Collions, Harper. "The Ivory Throne all set for a screen adaptation".
Raghunandan, Lakshmi (1995) At the turn of the tide : the life and times of Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi, the last queen of Travancore Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi Memorial Charitable Trust, Bangalore;
- Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand Young India
- A Survey of Kerala History, A. Sreedhara Menon, page 345 and 346
- Travancore State Manual Vol II by Velu Pillai
- Varma, Shreekumar (2 March 2006) "Women on Top" The Sunday Express India
- Malayala Manorama
- Triumph and Tragedy in Travancore: Annals of Sir CPs Sixteen Years by A. Sreedhara Menon